Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Missed meetings could mean jail time for parents - Boston.com

Missed meetings could mean jail time for parents

In this photo made June 23, 2010, an instructor teaching Detroit Public Schools parents skills to help their children in school looks through her notes during a parent class in Detroit. Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy says the lack of making parents accountable for their children partly is blamed on elevated truancy and dropout rates. Worthy's solution: Jail parents for up to three days for repeatedly missing scheduled parent-teaher conferences. (AP Photo/Corey Willams)

By Corey Williams

Associated Press Writer / July 6, 2010

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DETROIT—The night Demarco Harris shot and killed a woman during a robbery on a Detroit street, his parents told police knocking on their door at 2 a.m. they didn't know where their 12-year-old was.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that's indicative of a larger issue in Detroit, where the lack of making parents accountable for their children partly is blamed on elevated truancy and dropout rates, as well as a recent rash of violent crimes involving teens.

Worthy has a new idea she hopes will fix the problem: Jail parents for up to three days for repeatedly missing scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

"I have seen that younger and younger children are committing more violent acts and we need to look at different approaches," Worthy told reporters. "I know